Echelon and Messe Frankfurt GmbH Team on World's Largest Device Networking Event2001 LonWorld™ Conference and Exhibition to Take Place in Frankfurt, Germany October 23 - 24(Sunnyvale, CA and FRANKFURT, Germany - April 9, 2001) - Messe Frankfurt and Echelon Corporation (NASDAQ: ELON) announced today that they have entered into a long-term relationship to develop and expand LonWorld™ Conferences and Exhibitions. Messe Frankfurt, one of the world�s largest organizers of trade fairs, exhibitions and conferences. will take on organizational, marketing, and fiscal responsibility for LonWorld which, for the first time, will be run as an independent industry event. LonWorld is the world�s leading annual forum for manufacturers, specifiers, and buyers of "smart" products (based on Echelon's LonWorks® platform) to see and learn firsthand about new products, applications, and technological advances in networking everyday devices. LonWorld alternates each year between the United States and Europe. Messe Frankfurt will organize and run those events located in Europe beginning with the 2001 LonWorld conference, to be held October 23-24 at the Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre. Under this new agreement, Messe Frankfurt and Echelon look to significantly expand the number of exhibitors and attendees at the events and to continue to grow LonWorld into one the world's premier showcases for the networking industry. The last European conference took place in Amsterdam in 1999 and featured 164 exhibitors and 1500 visitors. Messe Frankfurt expects LonWorld 2001 to see more than 20% growth on the exhibitor side and about 50% growth on the trade visitor side. The exhibition that accompanies the congress will cover 5000 square meters of space. "We have watched support for the LonWorks platform steadily increase across several industries over the past few years in shows that we organize throughout Europe," said Horst Niedlich, vice president, Technical Fairs, Messe Frankfurt. "It is clear to us that LonWorks has become an industry in and of itself < one that is significant worldwide, rapidly growing, and at the leading edge of the new service-driven Internet economy. We have a long history of expanding our shows into large, global events that lead their industry sector. We are extremely pleased to partner with Echelon to add the LonWorld conferences to our family of Messe Frankfurt trade fairs." The LonWorks platform is an open standard that enables everyday devices such as appliances, thermostats, air conditioners, electric meters, water heaters, and security systems to be made "smart" and to communicate with each other and across the Internet to improve the way we work and live. In addition to its leading role in networking everyday devices in buildings, factories, and transportation systems, Echelon's LonWorks platform is also the basis of the world's largest home networking deployments. One such deployment is a project to network 27 million Italian homes announced by Enel SpA, the world's largest publicly traded utility. There are 13 million LonWorks devices already installed worldwide. "Over the years, LonWorld has grown into an industry event for the thousands of companies providing products and services to the LonWorks industry," said Bea Yormark, Echelon�s vice president of sales and marketing. "We're extremely pleased to be working with an organization of Messe Frankfurt's expertise and reputation to continue the expansion of LonWorld events and to better serve the LonWorks industry. Messe Frankfurt's global marketing and sales capabilities, organizational expertise, and world-class facilities, combined with the city of Frankfurt�s accessibility and excellent transportation infrastructure, make it an ideal partner." Visitors coming from Frankfurt Airport can get to the Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre by public transportation quickly and easily in approximately 20 minutes. The Exhibition Centre is served by its own suburban railway station, which allows exhibitors and visitors to take advantage of cheaper hotel accommodation in the region without losing any convenience. During fairs, trains run every 5 to 8 minutes. The new 'Messe' underground station has two exits that allow visitors to get from the main railway station to the Exhibition Centre's City Entrance in less than five minutes. A new, ultra-modern car park is available for visitors traveling by automobile. With 5,400 parking spaces on eight levels, this is Frankfurt's biggest multi-story car park. At peak periods, buses run between the exhibition halls and car park at three-minute intervals. For registration and exhibition information, visit http://www.LonWorldexpo.com. About Echelon Corporation Echelon is based in Sunnyvale, California with international offices in China, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Further information can be found at http://www.echelon.com. About Messe Frankfurt GmbH In 2000, Messe Frankfurt held over 80 events worldwide that attracted more than 3 million visitors and generated approximately DM 600 million in revenue. The company markets it events worldwide through its subsidiaries in Frankfurt, Atlanta, Sao Paulo, Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, New Dehli, Istanbul and Milan as well as a through a network of 64 sales representatives covering 103 countries worldwide. More information is available on line at http://www.messefrankfurt.com. ### Echelon, LonWorks, LonMark, the LonMark logo, and the Echelon logo are trademarks of Echelon Corporation registered in the United States and other countries. Bringing the Internet to Life is a trademark of Echelon Corporation. Other marks belong to their respective holders. This press release may contain statements relating to future plans, events or performance. Such statements may involve risks and uncertainties, including risks associated with uncertainties pertaining to the timing and level of customer orders, demand for products and services, development of markets for Echelon's products and services, and other risks identified in Echelon's SEC filings. Actual results, events and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Echelon undertakes no obligation to release publicly the result of any revisions to these forward-looking statements that may be made to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Contact Information
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